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Point guard Harris is the key to improving inside game
12:12 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 3, 2007
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com
Points in the paint can be a deceptive statistic. There are some bad NBA teams that routinely pile up baskets from point-blank range.
The Mavericks are not a bad team. But they were a bad points-in-the-paint team last season. They averaged 35.3 inside points per game. Only Minnesota at 35.0 averaged fewer.
That has to change, coach Avery Johnson believes. And it starts with one individual.
"Points in the paint, that's my job, to get them and create them," point guard Devin Harris said. "I want to be among the leaders in points in the paint. And when you get that, that's when you open up a lot of things with the dropoffs to the big guys. When opponents fear you getting to the basket, it opens up so much."
The Mavericks are asking plenty from their point man this season. While the evaluation process about what to do at shooting guard started with Tuesday's two practices, there is no doubt what must happen at point guard. Johnson wants Harris to do the things Tony Parker does for San Antonio and Deron Williams does for Utah.
In other words, he must be the creative point guard the Mavericks haven't had since Steve Nash's departure.
"More than anything, decisions – and confidence," Johnson said of what he needs from Harris. "Make sound decisions and live with the results. Quarterback the team. I've seen flashes of it. Now I need to see more consistency.
"And also points in the paint. Because we're not a great post-up team, we've got to try to manufacture getting points in the paint in other ways. And he's one of the guys. As we've seen with somebody down south [Parker], a point guard definitely can get you some points in the paint. And we want to make teams pay in the paint."
Fast breaks will only get a team so many easy baskets, and the Mavericks have precious few players who can back down a defender and score over him. That leaves penetration as the primary option for getting into the gut of the defense.
If there's any doubt about the importance of points in the paint for this team, the Mavericks were 32-1 last season when they scored as much or more in the paint than their opponent. They were 35-14 when outscored in the paint.
As much as that will be a focus of Harris' development, more will be expected now that he has signed a five-year contract extension.
And, at times, there will be less expected, Johnson said.
The less part of the formula involves Johnson seeing fewer times when his floor general looks to the sideline for direction. If Harris spends too much time waiting for Johnson to call a play, he'll get an earful from his coach. Or worse.
"I told him I'm going to cut his head off," Johnson said. "I'm only going to give him one a game, not 10."
The message is clear. The coach wants his point guard to be a play-caller in addition to a playmaker.
Harris has added 15 pounds since last season without sacrificing any of his quickness. At least, that's the hope. Getting past defenders has never been a problem for Harris. His jump shot is another matter, though he's worked on it.
Johnson can live without a knockdown shooter at the point. He was never blessed in that area in his playing days. But he must see penetration from his point guard and, of course, defense, something Harris is looking forward to playing more this season.
"I like not having to guard the two-guards," he said, a grin turning into a touch of sarcasm. "Obviously, I know my post defense is tremendous and all. But now I can stick with point guards."